The Royal Dutch Shell plc Annual Report and Form 20-F (this Report) serves as the Annual Report and Accounts in accordance with UK requirements and as the Annual Report on Form 20-F as filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for the year ended December 31, 2017, for Royal Dutch Shell plc (the Company) and its subsidiaries (collectively referred to as Shell). This Report presents the Consolidated Financial Statements of Shell (pages 137-178), the Parent Company Financial Statements of Shell (pages 199-207) and the Financial Statements of the Royal Dutch Shell Dividend Access Trust (pages 213-216). Cross references to Form 20-F are set out on pages 02-03 of this Report.
Financial reporting terms used in this Report are in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). The Consolidated Financial Statements comprise the financial statements of the Company and its subsidiaries. “Subsidiaries” and “Shell subsidiaries” refer to those entities over which the Company has control, either directly or indirectly. Entities and unincorporated arrangements over which Shell has joint control are generally referred to as “joint ventures” and “joint operations” respectively, and entities over which Shell has significant influence but neither control nor joint control are referred to as “associates”. “Joint ventures” and “joint operations” are collectively referred to as “joint arrangements”.
In addition to the term “Shell”, in this Report “we”, “us” and “our” are also used to refer to the Company and its subsidiaries in general or to those who work for them. These terms are also used where no useful purpose is served by identifying the particular entity or entities. The term “Shell interest” is used for convenience to indicate the direct and/or indirect ownership interest held by Shell in an entity or unincorporated joint arrangement. The companies in which Royal Dutch Shell plc has a direct or indirect interest are separate legal entities. Shell subsidiaries’ data include their interests in joint operations.
We also refer to “Shell’s net carbon footprint” in this Report. This includes Shell’s carbon emissions from the production of our energy products, our suppliers’ carbon emissions in supplying energy for that production, and our customers’ carbon emissions associated with their use of the energy products we sell. Shell only controls its own emissions but, to support society in achieving the Paris Agreement goals, we aim to help and influence such suppliers and consumers to likewise lower theirs. The use of the terminology “Shell’s net carbon footprint” is for convenience only and not intended to
suggest these emissions are those of Shell or its subsidiaries.
